Spies on the trail.

• Position: Politics - Presidential campaign intelligence - Brief Article

In the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, candidates are leaving nothing to chance. Behind every candidate is an army of foot soldiers whose job is to monitor and determine other candidates. These practitioners of what one political operative calls "the dark arts" work somewhat furtively, far from the flag waving, and from the candidate. They include "trackers," who monitor and record what rival candidates say at campaign stops, researchers who delve into records, and minions who e-mail these...